This week, the 25 states suing President Obama over executive action will have their first day in court, with a hearing scheduled for Thursday, January 15. Today, however, 12 states in favor of executive action threw their support behind President Obama by filing an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief. The effort was spearheaded by Washington States’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson, and was co-signed by the Attorneys General of California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and the District of Columbia.
The brief argues that Obama’s executive action presents a boon rather than a burden, allowing immigrant families to participate more fully in American society and increasing the amount of tax revenue for states. And because states will benefit from the President’s action, today’s brief argues, the 25 plaintiff states will not be able to demonstrate the harm required for standing. Though 12 states are supporting executive action, compared to the 25 states in the lawsuit opposing it, today’s states contain half the population of eligible immigrants.
As Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in a press statement:
The President took necessary and humane steps to help keep families together and provide relief to law-abiding Washington families. He acted because Congress has not, and Washington state and the rest of the country should not have to wait any longer for sensible immigration reform. I applaud the Attorney General’s effort to set the record straight about the President’s authority to pursue commonsense executive action.
Read the brief here or below:
